The Last Paradise

About the Book

After five years exploring space, Justin and his small crew discover a mysterious, wondrous, uninhabited planet, unlike anything they have ever seen. A careless, or perhaps carefree, moment causes them to crash land and become stranded. They are far from home, no one knows where they are, and there is virtually no chance of rescue. The planet is a magnificent, pristine paradise. On one side, a vast, arid desert covers half the world. On the other side is a pure, crystal sea surrounded by a lush forest with gigantic trees that are thousands of years old. Sitting regally at the center of the sea is a mysterious, mist-shrouded ice mountain, the source of all life on the planet. The survivors make their home here as best they can, and prosper to become a large family, living a simple life without technology of any kind. The planet provides them with everything they need and more. They are happy and content. Eventually someone does come looking for them, after many years have passed. By that time the family has no desire to be rescued, and no intention of revealing the planet´s miraculous secrets to anyone. The leader of the newcomers is determined and stubborn. He has been searching for them his entire life, and he isn´t about to give up until he knows everything there is to know about them. But the family believes that revealing the secrets of this world would mean the end of their way of life and the ruination of the planet. The resulting conflict is a confrontation between technology and simplicity, between the old and the new, and it will be devastating for all of them.

About the Author

Born in Yankton Sioux country in south eastern South Dakota, Steve Zachariasen now makes his home in historic The Dalles, Oregon, where this story takes place. Close at hand are the Cascade Mountains and surrounding forests, The Columbia River Gorge, the wide open spaces of Eastern Oregon, and the magnificent Oregon Pacific coastline. All of this beauty offers endless inspiration, with some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Steve has been writing short stories and poetry since he was a boy and has won awards for his poetry. His first novel, The Last Paradise, was published in 2002.